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The exotic flavor of this dish was really surprising to me, considering it uses only a few very basic ingredients. Just note that the rice noodles do stick together slightly (rice noodles are very starchy so they can be a bit sticky). Adding a touch of olive oil keeps them manageable. Sticky or not, I love them, especially used here in this delicious Asian-inspired dish, reminiscent of those super popular boxed noodles. It’s sophisticated enough for guests, yet your kids will love it, too! Note that though these noodles might seem scary to the novice, they’re incredibly easy to work with. Try to keep them as intact as possible when pulling them apart. Pull them the long way, so the noodles stay longer, instead of being broken in half. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, just estimate and use about 1/4 of a 16-ounce package.

It may seem odd to figure out how to slice a tube of polenta into fries, but it’s actually quite simple. Just follow the directions below, imagining the polenta halves are large potatoes. Then cut the fries as if you’re cutting them from potatoes.

At first glance, it might seem strange to see the words ravioli and soup together. But I figure if Jewish folks cut through matzo balls and Chinese folks break apart wontons, we Italians should be able to join in by throwing ravioli in our soup. Though I’d like to pretend I’m a trendsetter, I’ve really just created a twist on tortellini soup for the sake of saving fat and calories. In my grocery stores I can find lower-fat ravioli, but I can’t find lower-fat tortellini. If you do find the tortellini, feel free to return to the more traditional and make this soup with tortellini. But I’m pretty happy with it as is, and I think you will be too. Note that if you can find it, Rosetto also makes a whole-wheat ravioli that’s delicious and just as low in fat and calories but packs 6 grams of fiber per serving (I buy it at Whole Foods). The bag is slightly smaller (22 ounces instead of 25), so you’d need a bag plus a few more ravioli to make the recipe as written, but it’s worth buying.

This dish is insanely great for potlucks. Instead of other lasagnes that you can slave over for hours, you can now spend just 10 minutes throwing this together. And the best news is that it can be assembled up to 1 day in advance. After preparing it, simply cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator (be sure to remove the plastic wrap before baking!) so it can be baked just before serving. Make sure you find a brand of ravioli with as little fat as possible. Some are laden with tons of fat and calories, yet they don’t taste any better than those that are lower in fat and calories. Rosetto also makes a whole-wheat ravioli that’s delicious and just as low in fat and calories but packs 6 grams of fiber per serving (I buy it at Whole Foods). Though the bag is slightly smaller (22 ounces instead of 25), so you’ll need a bag plus a few more ravioli to make the recipe as written, it’s worth buying.

Lots of folks are tricked by markets that boast to be health food stores or natural food stores or even have the word fresh in their name. Though there is definitely something to be said for eating foods that are minimally processed, just because you do doesn’t mean you’ll be healthy in terms of weight, cholesterol, etc. I was recently at a natural food market where I saw a breaded portobello mushroom in the deli case. I thought it was a great idea until I looked at the nutritional information. It had a ridiculous amount of total fat, saturated fat, and calories. Believe it or not, the turkey meatballs were almost as bad. So I trudged home and made my own version in minutes. The team in my kitchen was particularly excited about this recipe, especially since each breaded mushroom has only 64 calories!

If you prefer, you can always substitute a brown rice, whole-wheat, or whole-grain pasta for the fiber-enriched variety. I get a lot of letters and e-mails from home cooks around the country saying they are able to make my recipes for the whole family even though their spouses and children won’t generally eat healthy food, because my recipes actually taste fattening. To keep with that tradition, I opt for the fiber-enriched pasta since it adds needed fiber to our diets while still tasting more like traditional pasta.

Though boxes of pierogies tend to provide many cooking options, my favorite for this dish (and many others) is to boil them. They stay nice and tender, and there’s no need to add any fat. The flavor of this dish is subtle, so it’s particularly great for those who aren’t as in love with spicy foods as I am. Either way, though, it’s a great, refreshing recipe for a summer evening.

My mom recently made this recipe. She called my office and told Stephanie, our “Test Kitchen Goddess,” that it should be called Polish Paradise. She was shocked at how quick and easy it was to make, especially for as much as she and my dad loved it. When spooning the sauerkraut into the measuring cup, it doesn’t actually need to be drained, but it shouldn’t be accompanied by a lot of excess liquid. Please note this isn’t a dish that should be eaten every night if you’re watching your sodium intake, since the amount of sodium is pretty high. That said, the recipe has only a fraction of the sodium it would have if you were to eat something similar in most restaurants.

This is another recipe where caramelized onions work well. Though they’re not actually moist, they ensure you’re not eating a dry, bland dish. And if you make them ahead (see page 225), you can reheat them in a flash to turn what would otherwise be an ordinary meal into a restaurant-quality one.

I particularly love this dish because of the meld of temperatures—hot dumplings with cool sauce. If you haven’t tried them, pierogies are Polish dumplings that are similar to ravioli, but the “pasta” is made from flour and potato instead of just flour. Numerous brands of pierogies are available these days, so they’re relatively easy to find. Just be sure to read the nutrition information, because while some are very low in fat, others can be quite high. It’s sometimes even possible to find whole-wheat, all-natural pierogies. Living Right Natural Foods makes them, though using the same serving size of these will add about 3.5 grams of fat to each three-pierogie serving. To keep the calories as low as the recipe below, eat three all-natural pierogies instead of the manufacturer’s suggested serving size of four. Be mindful when you’re buying bruschetta sauce as well. This is another item where brands vary widely. Though olive oil is good for you, overindulging can definitely counter efforts to be fit, and some brands have an extraordinary amount of olive oil.

These meatballs are great as a party appetizer served with pretty toothpicks for munching or excellent as a quick weeknight dinner served over brown or Mexican rice. If you have trouble finding Mexican seasoning, you can substitute lower-sodium taco seasoning. If you are serving them at a cocktail party, you might consider tossing them in only half of the sauce and adding the remaining sauce to a small bowl for dipping. Save time by having your children roll the meatballs. It’s fun for them and will give you more “you time.” The next day, save even more time by using the leftovers as the meat for throw-together tacos using soft corn tortillas.

I love dips because I think they “force” people to eat more veggies. Now that’s great if the dip isn’t doing more damage than the veggies are adding in health benefits, which is not the case with many dips. But fortunately, this is one that helps people eat more veggies and adds extra nutrients.

I’ve tried making onion dip with fat-free sour cream but just couldn’t stomach it. The texture is just so off. On occasion I’d indulge by using light sour cream, but then I felt I had to be mindful of how much dip I was eating. Using a thick Greek yogurt, like Fage, I can finally eat as much dip as I want. Though it doesn’t taste exactly like full-fat sour cream, it does provide the same texture and a great (though different) flavor. Please note that depending on the brand of soup mix you use, the perfect amount will vary slightly. I’d start with 2 teaspoons and then continue adding, tasting as you do, until it suits your tastes. You can look for all-natural or organic onion soup mixes. I find the flavors differ significantly among brands, so try numerous brands if you don’t love the first you try.

One of my all-time favorite dishes to order at sushi bars is albacore or yellowtail sashimi with ponzu—a citrus-based soy sauce—and jalapeño (though they sometimes add way too much sesame oil for my taste). The name changes from menu to menu, but no matter the title, I absolutely love it. Here’s an at-home version that’s a cinch to throw together and super-nutritious. It’s perfect for you or to impress your sushi-loving guests. Though you might be tempted to omit the salt, I wouldn’t recommend it. This is actually a great dish for exotic sea salt. A light sprinkle can add real depth to the dish.

Having been raised on the East Coast, I thought everyone knew what stromboli is—you really couldn’t go into a casual Italian restaurant without seeing it on the menu. Plus, my mother made it often. When I moved to the West Coast, I found most people had no idea what stromboli is. In case you aren’t familiar with it, stromboli is traditionally made by taking bread dough, flattening it into a rectangle, layering it with Italian ingredients (my family’s favorite was pepperoni and provolone), and then rolling it, jelly roll style. You seal the ends and bake it, so it’s like a stuffed loaf when it emerges from the oven. When we served it at cocktail parties, we would always cut it into slices and serve the pieces on their sides so they looked like pinwheels. This recipe is a much less fattening version of this Italian favorite. It is still a treat, but you won’t need to spend hours and hours on a treadmill after you eat it.

Every New Year’s Eve when I was a kid, we had pigs in blankets, chips with dip (see my makeover, Fixed-Up French Onion Dip, on page 100), and mini-pizzas. And that was pretty much the only time we ever had them, so I have such warm, celebratory memories associated with these foods. The very first time I was on Good Morning America, it was on New Year’s Eve and I was showing America how to throw together a last-minute, healthy New Year’s Eve party. I made bite-sized pigs in blankets. Here, I’ve sped up the preparation time so you can eat this favorite in minutes any time of the year. Be sure to buy biscuits with only 1.5 grams of fat or less per 2-biscuit serving. I’ve found that many private labels make them (so be sure to check those), as does Pillsbury.

Gina: Ours is a spinach salad with some serious attitude. In addition to the bacon and creamy blue cheese dressing, we add sweetened pecans and tart dried cranberries, and the overall effect is to give this salad a festive feel. It’s a great dinner party starter, and it’s especially good partnered with a fat grilled steak. The spiced pecans are good enough to eat on their own as a snack, but try to save them for the salad! And even though we call for dried cranberries, you can substitute a variety of dried fruit, including dried cherries or golden raisins.